Little Paper Planes takes off in S.F.

Updated 4:06 pm, Friday, May 17, 2013

Kelly Lynn Jones gets her new shop, Little Paper Planes - a brick-and-mortar spin-off of her online business - ready on Valencia Street in San Francisco: "My concept is gallery meets shop meets living room."

Kelly Lynn Jones gets her new shop, Little Paper Planes - a brick-and-mortar spin-off of her online business - ready on Valencia Street in San Francisco: "My concept is gallery meets shop meets living room."

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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Clockwise from bottom - Five photos from Brice Bischoff, sphere pouch by ANN-YA of Portland, prints from In Haus press, Julie Cloutier jewelry.

Clockwise from bottom - Five photos from Brice Bischoff, sphere pouch by ANN-YA of Portland, prints from In Haus press, Julie Cloutier jewelry.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

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Pillows by Julia Kostreva.

Pillows by Julia Kostreva.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Little Paper Planes takes off in S.F.

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The online marketplace Little Paper Planes, a purveyor of art and publications as well as handcrafted accessories, apparel and housewares, opened a brick-and-mortar location on Valencia Street this weekend. "My concept is gallery meets shop meets living room," says founder Kelly Lynn Jones.

In 2004, Jones - then a recent art school graduate - started Little Paper Planes as "an online outlet for artists to sell the ephemera they were making," she says. "At the time, there was no Etsy, Big Cartel or Shopify, so I created my own niche for my community to see what would happen."

Today, LPP works with more than 70 emerging artists worldwide. Jones has published books, curated exhibitions and launched an LPP line of products. In late 2011, she organized a couple of pop-up events, which sparked the idea for a more permanent physical presence.

"It got me excited to be in a real space," she says. "I also wanted to evolve my own day to day and have more in-person connections."

After a year of searching, Jones signed a lease on the storefront that once housed the Curiosity Shoppe. Jones transformed the interior with fixtures hand built by Oakland artist Kate Pruitt.

"Everything she built was extremely intentional and artful," says Jones. "The whole space feels like one installation where fixtures, art and products all create a dialogue with one another."

A print gallery highlights a new artist every month starting with Matthew Feyld (prints and originals of his work are now on exhibit).

Viniita Neet Moran is operating a bookstore, Owl Cave Books, within LPP. And a 24-inch monitor is dedicated to LPP TV, which Jones describes as "a platform for artists and curators to expand on ideas, showcasing video and film works."

The LPP+ Residency program occupies the back of the shop, and is a place for creative types - artists, makers and curators - to focus on projects.

"My main objective for them is to engage with the public in some capacity, whether that is a lecture, screening or workshop," says Jones. The first residents are Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour of the newly opened Et al. gallery in Chinatown.

"Having a space for artists is crucial," Jones continues. "Beyond that, I am excited to host a variety of events and see how things evolve."